The Fighter Wahlberg Vs Bale

Everyone's preparing for the upcoming hit film The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. The movie is slated for release December 12, 2010 just in time for the slew of high budget Hollywood hits and some greatly anticipated independent films. There may be a lot of competition on the way, but this movie is number one on my list right next to Little Fockers.

Ratings have proven that everyone loves a great boxing movie. Some examples of the winners that we've seen in the past are the Rocky films, Million Dollar Baby and the movie that made Michelle Rodriguez famous, Girlfight. That's just to name a few. A truly impeccable boxing film like Raging Bull stands out above the rest because of the acting performances brought to us by Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. My question with The Fighter is, will Christian Bale outshine Mark Wahlberg?

It's a tough call but it seems probable that Bale's acting ability will be noticeably greater than that of Mark Wahlberg, who seems to be playing the lead role. Wahlberg may not be one of America's top ten actors. He may not even fall into a top 50 category, but we love him just the same. We like his physique and genuine character, not to mention that he still has a long list of hit movies under his belt. You'll notice that his acting is not always consistent if you compare his work in Boogie Nights, The Perfect Storm and The Departed to his performances in Shayamalan's The Happening or The Lovely Bones. You must admit he's had some flaky moments but one thing is for sure- there's always room for improvement because he obviously has potential. Will this be the film that takes Wahlberg's career to a whole new level? I suppose we'll have to wait and see!

Christian Bale, on the other hand, has played very different roles than Wahlberg so it may be difficult for most to judge whether or not Bale could have been believable as a character like Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights. One of the major differences between these two actors is that Bale has proven to be consistently flawless with each performance. Bale is an actor that absorbs himself completely into each one of his roles as if his life depended on it. Some might even say that he is obsessive. Consider the amount of weight that he has lost, gained and lost again between roles. He looked completely decrepit for the movie The Machinist and he has now dropped down to nothing yet again to play Wahlberg's drug addicted brother in The Fighter. If I had to choose a Christian Bale movie that stands out above all others, it would have to be American Psycho and I guarantee you that Wahlberg never could have pulled off that sick, twisted, one-of-a-kind serial-killer character.

Both actors are unique and certainly have different styles. We love Wahlberg and we respect Bale's ability to deliver. My hope is that Wahlberg learns from Bale and becomes better because he has to in order to compete. I hope that Wahlberg is not as passive as he has been in his recent movies and shows us a rough and tough side that takes us by surprise. The great thing about this movie is that it does not just focus on the life of a boxer. There are many other factors involved that makes it a well rounded hit drama that will be way to good to miss. See you at the theater!


By: Francis David


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